Navigational Bronchoscopy

Early diagnosis, lower lung cancer mortality

More than 500,000 bronchoscopies are performed each year in the United States, 65 percent of which fail to reach peripheral lesions. Failure of bronchoscopy often leads to more invasive diagnostic procedures, such as surgical biopsy or transthoracic needle aspiration.

An advanced bronchial navigation system recently installed at Sacred Heart Medical Center allows physicians to reach previously inaccessible lesions deep in the lungs for the early detection of lung disease in operable and non-operable patients.

The superDimension inReach Electromagnetic Navigation System provides the ability to diagnose, stage and prepare to treat distal lung lesions in one minimally invasive procedure. Using a GPS-like navigation system, the physician can navigate to peripheral lesions and biopsy for diagnosis; stage lymph nodes for diagnosis and pre-operative planning; place radiosurgical markers in and around tumors; and place dye markers for guiding pulmonary VATS procedures.

In appropriate cases, the system replaces the need for high-risk invasive procedures while increasing the success rate of diagnostic bronchoscopy (successful diagnosis of peripheral lesions in 70 to 85 percent of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy cases). More than 33,000 procedures have been performed nationwide since the technology was first introduced, resulting in a reduction in lung cancer mortality and a decrease in surgeries for false positive tests for lung cancer.

Early diagnosis is a key to patient survival. A recent study found lung lesions diagnosed early (Stage I) resulted in a survival rate of 88 percent at 10 years, compared with lung cancer patients diagnosed at Stage III or IV, where survival rates are typically 15 percent at five years. (To peruse journal articles about the inReach system, click here.)